1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a material distributing device, which uses a conveyor to remove material from the top of a load of material in the hopper of a trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hauling material in a hopper to an area and then spreading the material evenly while unloading the hopper is a problem for farmers, gardeners and others. Unloading the hopper can be accomplished by dropping the material out of the bottom of the hopper which tends to unload the hopper faster at the beginning of the unloading process than toward the end of the unloading process. Sometimes the load will not be removed from the aperture in the bottom of the hopper due to jams caused by clumps of material. Augers, conveyors or other unloading devices to aid in removing the material from the hopper and to measure the unloading evenly at the bottom of the load have a large power requirements to move the material under the weight of the load in the hopper.
Another method is to unload the hopper by expelling the material out of the back of the trailer such as by opening a tail gate and then forcing the material out of the back of the trailer by moving the material on a conveyor or by an elongated apron for forcing the material out of the back of a trailer or truck bed. The force required to move the entire load in this manner is excessive particularly with a full load in the bed of the truck or trailer. This forceful pushing of the material out of the back of a moving truck does not result in the even distribution of the material on the ground.
A dump truck is sometimes used to unload a truck bed but results in uneven spreading of the material.
A trailer having a conveyor belt with paddles thereon for removing material from the top of a load in a hopper only uses the force necessary to move the top layer of the material and unloads the material at an even pace without interference from the rest of the load.
A conveyor belt with the paddles for removing the material can be powered from the drive wheels of the trailer such that the unloading rate is directly related to the speed of the trailer for an even distribution of the material.
The conveyor belt can dig deeper into the trailer as the trailer is unloaded by pivoting on one axis. If the trailer has a shape to accommodate the pivoting conveyor the entire contents of the trailer can be removed at an even rate with a low power requirement.
It is an object of the invention to spread material from a hopper at an even rate as the hopper is moved over a given area for depositing the material.
It is an object of the invention to require a minimum of power for removing the material from the hopper and spreading the material evenly.
It is an object of the invention to remove all of the material from the hopper.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.